January 28, 2013

The Philadelphia Auto Show ended yesterday. I’m a confirmed non-driver so I was not among the thousands of car enthusiasts at the Pennsylvania Convention Center.

But I am a STEM enthusiast and chief evangelist for Philly Phresh Start, a project to increase interest in STEM among underrepresented minorities. STEM stands for science, technology, engineering and math.

The Philly Phresh Start Project will drive home the fact that STEM is everywhere. We will introduce black youth to STEM superstars like Edward T. Welburn Jr., General Motors’ vice president of global design.

January 26, 2013

This week marks the third anniversary of Citizens United v. FEC, the landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision that opened the floodgates to money in politics.

A picture is worth a thousand words. So ‘nuff said.

For information on how you can get money out and voters in, please visit Money Out/Voters In. An engaged citizenry will ensure that mo’ money will only bring mo’ problems for the fat cats who are undermining our democracy.

January 22, 2013

In his second inaugural address, President Obama said “our journey is not complete.”

Obama called on Americans to “reach higher”:

We understand that outworn programs are inadequate to the needs of our time. So we must harness new ideas and technology to remake our government, revamp our tax code, reform our schools, and empower our citizens with the skills they need to work harder, learn more, reach higher.

We cannot cede to other nations the technology that will power new jobs and new industries, we must claim its promise. That’s how we will maintain our economic vitality and our national treasure -- our forests and waterways, our crop lands and snow-capped peaks. That is how we will preserve our planet, commanded to our care by God. That’s what will lend meaning to the creed our fathers once declared.

January 17, 2013

Carrie Lewis and Kelly Steele’s fifth grade students slide and spin across the classroom floor, doing the hustle, the robot and the running man. While it may look at first glance like goofing off, these students are actually dancing for a higher cause...math.

Lewis, a STEM specialist for Virginia’s Lynchburg city schools, and Steele, who teaches gifted education in Bedford County, Virginia, are both math enthusiasts eager to instill in their students a love of the subject. And dancing, they hoped, might be just the thing to help tackle a common fifth-grade learning deficit -- number patterns.

The “dance by numbers” lesson plan is at the intersection of art and math.

STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art and math) is the sweet spot for the Philly Phresh Start Project, which will be launched in March. We will shake our groove thing as we show underrepresented minorities that STEM is everywhere. In the meantime, follow us on Twitter: @PhillySTEAM.